One True Thing
by Silverlight
Summary: The world forgets, Anna remembers. [YohAnna, HaoAnna]. Complete
1. the possibility of zero

Yoh/Anna and sort of Hao/Anna. Written for the 52flavours community on livejournal. AU. Spoilers for Funbari no Uta. First part of three.

part one: the possibility of zero (#44)

_15. bathing in artificial light_

Yoh's joining with the Great Spirit left the world colourless. Sometimes she dreamed about it: his mouth open, back arched, and arms splayed in an awkward pose. Her eyes watched his growing form as he drifted towards that light that grew and grew and grew until it blinded the world.

_03. four rings of light upon the ceiling overhead_

She woke up with a suddenness that caused her husband to exclaim. Sitting up, she stared at him, reaching out to trace the contours of his face. Eyes, cheekbones, lips, jaw. A passing car lit the window and she could see his eyes, dark and sombre, watching her. Already, her dream is fading into forgetfulness; Hao had always been the filter through which she had defined her reality. "Nothing," she said, withdrawing her touch. "Go back to sleep."

_21. new every morning_

Hana was sitting at the table when she finally showed up for breakfast. His eyes were unfocused and hair tousled. "Good morning Mother," he yawned.

"You need to brush your hair."

Hana looked sheepish and just a little guilty before admitting, "I was feeling lazy. I wonder if it'd be easier to have long hair like Father."

Anna gave him a penetrating stare. At seven, Hana seemed a little too old and young for his age with his brown eyes and hair, pointed nose and lips that were too prone to smiling. "Get me a comb," she ordered. He stood quietly as she arranged his hair to her liking. "Have your father take you to the hairdresser today," she said, pulling the last tendril into place.

_16. how fire took water to wife_

After the Shaman Fight, Hao and Anna had a quiet ceremony. People raised eyebrows at the development; they were only sixteen.

"We've been engaged since we were ten," Hao told everyone, wrapping a possessive arm around his wife. She removed it from her waist with a quiet exasperation that suggested long familiarity. "It was natural."

Anna insisted having only family present. "A private celebration is probably best," laughed Hao, kissing her on the cheek.

Kino's hair was arranged in its usual coiffure. Yohmei could not help but comment on the oddity of wearing sunglasses during a wedding ceremony. The usual acid in her voice was missing when she told him, "Some things will never change."

"Oh?" Yohmei glanced at his wife. It was really uncanny the way she seemed to see through everything, even though she was blind. "Your grandson is getting married to your favourite student. Surely even you can put aside your usual gravity for such an occasion."

She replied, "I am as happy for them as I can be."

_45. ownership of such fragile devices_

"Mother! Mother!" Hana's steps echoed across the wooden planking of the porch. He was waving something small and orange in his hands. "Look what I found!"

Anna looked up from her calligraphy. The brush had splattered ink over the rice paper. "Don't run and shout."

Hana's eyes flickered to her ruined calligraphy and he gulped. "I'm sorry Mother," he apologized, kneeling next to her. "But look."

He gave her the earphones. The metal was cool under her hands, and she could see the scuff marks on the orange paint. The black padding around the ear piece had also been worn down so that it probably would only sit comfortably on the original owner. "Where did you find this?"

"On the top shelf in one of the guest rooms. The third one down the hall from your room. There's also a lot of boxes, but I couldn't reach them so I thought..." his voice trailed off. Anna fingered the scratches, tracing the grooves before slipping it over her neck. It felt heavy and unnatural, pressing against her shoulders and collarbones like a lover's hands.

"Wash my brushes. Don't ruin them," she told Hana.

The old guest room was covered in a thin film of dust. Pulling the door open, she reached for the first box.

She found various records and an old discman in the box. Frowning a bit, she rummaged through the music, reading titles and songs aloud. "Bob Love."

_38. hard, but much truer_

Anna slid the door open with a crisp motion. Kino sipped her tea, quiet, calm and expectant. "How did you remember?"

"I'm blind. I never saw the flash of light that everyone else did," explained Kino. "It wiped everyone's memories except mine."

"Why did you never tell me?"

"It was for the best, Anna." The words echoed between them.

"How do I separate him from the Great Spirit?"

The silence between them was deafening. Kino knew that at this point on, Anna would never call her 'Grandmother' again. "It's not possible."

"He's my husband."

Kino took off her glasses. Her pupils stood out in her white eyes, giving her the impression of sight. Anna returned the stare, curling her fingers in her lap. "Yoh is the Shaman King. Hao is your husband. You have a child."

Anna's eyes narrowed until they were mere slits and stated in her flattest tone, "Hao knows."

Kino didn't even consider lying. "Yes. But you're happy with him."

"_Was_ happy. Yoh broke a promise. You don't expect me to allow him to get away with it."

"As far as I am concerned, Yoh kept his promise. He became the Shaman King and he would not have been able to do it without you. Things worked out to the way they were supposed to be; Yoh was a mistake, but the Great Spirit fixed it. Your child will carry the Asakura name. Hao is your husband. You are an itako and my successor.

Anna's hands flew to the rosary around her neck. She could feel the wooden beads warming against her touch. She stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"To make things right."

Kino set her cup down. "You will tear the foundations of the world if you do this."

"I don't care," said Anna and slid the door shut behind her.


	2. recalling things other people have desir

Part two of three. Yoh/Anna and Hao/Anna. AU, kinda. Written for the 52flavours theme comm on lj. Spoilers for Funbari no Uta.

part two: recalling things that other people have desired (#35)

_02. the cruellest month_

An American poet had once written, "April is the cruellest month." I don't agree with him. His words (pretty, English and everything that poets wish they could write) cannot even begin to encapsulate April: we have not fully lived until we are reborn. I had lost my mind last winter but found April in Yoh.

_28. beneath these hands_

Their first winter was encapsulated by death. Matamune's sacrifice left an emptiness in her that she'd never fill again. She sagged into the snow, too tired to move.

"I'm sorry," said Yoh, offering her a hand up, which she ignored. The snow felt warm against her mittenless hands.

"What for?" she snapped.

He looked away. "Nothing. Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It was the only thing I could think of." He looked awkward and every inch of his ten years. "Why don't you get up? You look cold."

She opened her mouth to tell him that she wasn't, but he took off his mittens and gave them to her. "Come on," he said, offering her his wind-chafed hand. "Let's go home."

_34. the imperious life_

On their first White Day, he forgot to send her a gift. She wrote him a short, clipped note, and within the week, she received a package. Inside was a CD and a short post-it.

"Sorry about forgetting! I hope you like it! I don't think Ringo-san is scary anymore; she has a very nice voice. Happy White Day!"

_08. the blind leading the blind_

"This rosary has a thousand and eighty beads and an infinite number of ways to use it," Kino told her. "You can use it to bind, to release, to bring someone from the depths of despair or cast them into hell. It is an itako's tool and very powerful. With this rosary, you can be invincible."

Anna looped the rosary around her neck, feeling its weight. In time, she wouldn't even notice it anymore. "Thank you. I will do my best."

"Try not to abuse Yoh with it too much," cautioned Kino. "We still need him whole for the Shaman Fight."

"I'll try my best," she murmured.

_06. and yes, the way you look at me_

"You," her words and tone were sharp, "are an idiot."

He tilted his head to look at her. "Oh, you mean Tokageroh," he said, edging away from her. "I'm sorry, but I had to make him understand. Besides, I saved Ryu."

She raised an eloquent eyebrow. "You dared to risk your life and my chances for becoming First Lady for the sake of a low-level spirit?"

"Aww, Anna, it all worked out anyway."

"You made me look like a fool."

"I'm sorry." He turned the full force of his apologetic smile against her now that he knew she wasn't going to hit him.

_05. the effect of impact on stationary objects_

She closed her eyes and turned the moment over and over in her mind: sweaty palms against her cheeks, hair tickling her forehead and his warm, dry lips pressed against hers, sweet with amateurishness.

_41. every act of love is separateness_

She propped her elbows on the kitchen table, tapping her finger against her cheek. She watched his tan and calloused hands separate the yolk and whites from one another.

"I think you might like what I'm making," he told her as he discarded the shells.

"What is it?"

"It's a meringue." He picked up the whisk. "At least I think it is."

"What does it taste like?"

He shrugged. "Why don't we find out?"

The meringue came out fluffy and sweet. "Not bad," she murmured, scraping her bowl.

He smiled and picked up the knife so he could cut her another slice.

_33. the opposite of faith_

Yoh lived by Anna's impetuous nature; it was the thing that had defined their relationship all these years. One day she would want to go skiing just so she could sit in the lodge, sip her hot cocoa and watch him shake the snow and cold off himself after he had just taken a tumble down the treacherous hills. Another time she had him take her to a French restaurant, snapping at the waiter when she found out that they didn't serve green tea, only water, wine and soda. This time she wanted to attend a Christian mass, 'just to see what the big fuss was about.'

The Liturgy had been boring, and she had refused to shake hands with other people, but the Eucharist...somehow, Yoh hadn't been surprised when she made him go up and receive the unleavened bread. "What does it taste like?" she murmured when he returned.

He shrugged and opened his mouth so she could see the white spot on his tongue, rough and sickly looking. "Nothing."

She considered this for a long moment. "What a waste," she said before leading him out of the church.

_17. a dark heart, beating_

"Can I sleep with you?" Her voice had a quality that he never associated with Anna: fragile, tired and _young_.

"Yeah," he said, sitting up so he could shift the covers. She slid in the bedroll beside him, curling into such a tight ball that her knees were level with his ribs. "Are you comfortable?"

She made an affirmative noise as he adjusted the pillow so they could share it. Her eyes were much darker as she stared at the brief outline of his face. Eyes, nose, lips, cheekbones; they hadn't changed much in the last two years. His breath stirred her hair and she could feel its moistness, returning and receding.

_52. to the last syllable of recorded time_

Their silences were never awkward; they had grown out of that phase when they ceased to be children, on a train ride that still lingered in their reluctant memory.

_50. as near as now_

"Anna, why are you still awake?"

She glanced at him, huddling closer to the fire. "Couldn't sleep."

"Wait a moment." Yoh disappeared and returned a moment later with his blanket, draping it around her. It had a strange smell to it; the earth, stars and something headier. Familiar. "There," he said, sitting next to her.

They watched the fire in silence. She could feel the crackles splitting against the wood, feel Yoh shivering beside her. She shrugged off the blanket. "I'm not cold anymore."

He scooted closer to her and traced a finger up her arm experimentally. "Yes, you are. You have goosebumps." He draped the fabric over both of them. It was just big enough to cover them snugly.

She closed her eyes and rested her chin on her knees. "It's warm," she murmured.

_11. your pretty blue eyes are just stained glass_

"I met Hao today."

Yoh's expression was very unlike him: careful, neutral and closed. "I know."

Anna looked away and he took the moment to examine her profile. Honey-gold hair, brown eyes, pointed nose and lips that were too used to being pressed thin. She should smile more. "You have to defeat him."

"Mm." He wasn't enthusiastic about the idea.

"He said that he would be Shaman King and that I would be his wife," continued Anna. She could feel Yoh's body stiffen beside her, and she stared at him. He returned the gaze. She was the first one to look away.

"I see." He paused to lean back, digging his palms into the ground and stretching his legs out.

"You will be Shaman King."

"Do you still want me to?"

His question took Anna by surprise; she was not used to an insecure Yoh. "Of course." Her voice took on a softer quality. "Hao should have died a thousand years ago. He no longer has the right to be Shaman King."

"He's got just as much right as I have, Anna," Yoh chastised, reaching out to take her hand. He turned it so that her palm faced upwards and ran a finger across her hand. "You've got a fate line. And your life line divides into two here." He pressed the junction lightly. "You might have to choose between us one day."

"I refuse to marry him, Yoh."

Yoh shrugged. "I know. But things can change. Besides," and his gaze grew distant, "I wasn't supposed to be born. You can say that I haven't the right to be Shaman King either."

"You will be Shaman King, and I will be your wife," she told him, lacing her fingers through his.


	3. lost in order to becomem precious

Part three of three. Yoh/Anna and Hao/Anna. Funbari no Uta spoilers. Written for the 52flavours comm on lj.

part three: lost in order to become precious (#48)

_46. in praise of surfaces_

"We've grown old at fifteen," she said, tracing the contours of his face blindly. "We're lovers and now we'll be parents."

He blinked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He settled his warm hands against her bare stomach. She could feel the small foetus fluttering with excitement. "Can we name him Hana?"

She closed her eyes and tilted her head forward so that it rested against his collarbone.

_36. above the thunder_

"I'll return," he said.

"I know," she replied. The weight of his earphones were heavy against her rosary. Behind them, the Great Spirit rumbled with impatience.

_24. so shaken as we are_

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

"You're leaving me."

Anna turned to Hana and told him to wait outside. Hana nodded and shot a look at Hao. "I'm sorry," he murmured and darted out the door.

Hao leaned against the doorframe. "Where are you taking my son?"

"To Yoh."

"Who?"

She gave him her coolest stare. "You don't have to pretend."

His eyes flashed and for the first time since they had gotten married, Anna saw a bit of the Hao that she remembered. "Anna, we've been engaged since we were ten."

"I was engaged to Yoh for ten years. Yoh is Hana's father. I didn't meet you until I was thirteen."

Hao snarled something and pinned her against the wall, eyes teeming with insanity. "_I_ am Hana's father."

"Yoh is."

His kiss silenced her protests with an expertise that she couldn't help but appreciate. His lips, his tongue, the very essence that was Hao was in that kiss. A few days ago, she would've drowned in it; now she clung to the memory of Yoh as if it were a raft. "I," said Hao, releasing her, "am your husband and Hana's father."

She fought the urge to rub her wrists; she knew from experience that they'd be red and sore for the next few hours. "It was never meant to be you," she said, wiping her mouth on her sleeve with deliberate precision.

"You chose me, Anna. You _married_ me and we've been together for thirteen years." Hao narrowed his eyes. "Leave if you want. I'll find my son."

"Yoh's son," she corrected. "My years with you were a mistake. You were a dream, Hao. Yoh was real. _Is_ real." She slid past him and out the door. Before she could close it, she looked over her shoulder at him. It was the last concession she would ever make for him. "I chose Yoh all those years ago and my choice remains the same."

_1. five shades of white_

Kino watched her wade into the lake. "It's not too late to turn back."

Anna paused. The sun was high and the water sparkled beneath her. She could see a reflection of herself, wavering and changing in its transluscence. One moment she looked young and fragile, and the next she was fifteen with a swollen belly until finally, she could discern herself at twenty-three and looking far too old in her white, white robe. "In order to sever a connection between an unwelcome spirit and the body, the exorcist's soul, mind and body must be purified."

Kino turned away. From the angle that Anna was standing at, she could see the whites of Kino's milky eyes, looking tired, withdrawn and more glassy than ever. "Do what you want."

Anna took a deep breath and plunged into the water.

_12. wake unto me_

The Patch Village was quiet, nearly deserted. She stared at the Great Spirit. Even though it was just a pillar of light, she could feel the menace in it. It looked unforgiving, imposing. Taking a deep breath, she clasped her hands together and began to mutter.

_29. things in heavenly bodies_

She pulled him from the Great Spirit with a minimum of ceremony. He fell from the sky, his mouth open and arms spread. She watched him, her knuckles tense and white and the pupils of her eyes dilated. Yoh's face rippled with pain and something that she thought could be regret as the light dissipated from his shrinking form.

When he finally landed in the lake, she stood and waited, clutching at the fabric of her white shift and watching his figure rise from the water.

_40. a new iconography of resurrection _

He brushed damp hair from his eyes. He had changed, hadn't changed at all. He was a little taller, a bit broader across the shoulders, but his smile remained the same.

"Hi Anna," he said, wringing out his shirt.

"Welcome home," she replied.

_26. counterglow_

"Anna, what are you doing?"

She was reforming the rosary around her and motioning Yoh back with sharp motions. "Sealing the Great Spirit."

Yoh's brows knit together in puzzlement. "But why? Think of all the good we could accomplish with it."

"I thought I was married to Hao."

Yoh blinked. "Oh. Carry on."

_42. fidelity in adversity_

Her skin felt like it had been stretched too thin around her frame. Pulling Yoh out had taken almost everything from her, and sealing the Great Spirit was going to require an even greater effort.

Yoh watched her from a safe distance, shading his eyes with his hand. During the entire process, he never once glanced towards the Great Spirit that had housed him for so many years.

_49. tomorrow is something we remember_

The sealing had come at a price: a thousand and eighty beads. A thousand and eighty beads and eight years, she thought. "Your son wants to see you."

"How long has it been?" he asked, sounding sheepish.

"Eight years." She paused. "You broke your promise."

"Sorry!" He gave her a rueful grin. "No wonder your hair is so long now. So how old is Hana?"

"Seven and a half. He looks like you."

Yoh laughed. His voice had gotten slightly deeper, but not much. "I'm glad." He reached for her hand. "Let's go home, Anna."


End file.
